Archive:Chantier
' ' Chantier or the Path of Enlightenment, began as a simple set of meditations and exercises designed at curbing magical addiction, but rapidly has grown into a type of religion that teaches many of the concepts of the Light. In this it shares a similarity with the source of the Blood Elves power, The Sunwell. Chantier goes counter to many of the ideas of Kael'thas era of self-glorification, and urges Blood Elves to cast off and master negative emotions such as fear, rage, jealousy and greed. It also urges High Elves to look beyond their percieved pussinance, and pettiness, and argues that they must accept that like the Blood Elves, that they too have made numerous mistakes. The complaceny of High Elven society led to the downfall of Quel'thalas in the coming of the Scourge. The decadence and rage of the Blood Elves nearly destroyed them a second time. As both races bear a indellible tie to the Sunwell, so too must both come back to their source, lest their enemies extinguish them and their allies suffer from the in-fighting. The study of Chantier is one that humans likely will find difficulty in grasping, as they possess far shorter lifespans than that of elvenkind, and thus cannot hope to spend the same depth of study on the matter as the Blood Elves may, should the discipline flourish. 'The Mastery of Self:' Chantier continues on in its lessons to explain the nature of Elven logic, and often is uncomfortable for newcomers as it lays bare to them the most intimate things which a Blood Elf would consider socially unacceptable to discuss, and a High Elf would suppress and deny. Chantier forces a simple logic onto the mind, but it is a logic often difficult to grapple with because of the years of excess or hatred which both sides have given themselves over to. The Elf must accept the weakness in themselves, identify it as a weakness, and desire master it. The Elf will then seek to turn that will to control their basest emotions as a strength. How can one hope to control the arcane, or whether the ravages of fel energies, if they cannot control even themselves? Thus although the Elves may be intelligent and enlightened, all Elves have the capacity for savage violence much as their allies, the Orcs. This capacity to succumb to inner chaos, is where Kael'thas was led astray. The Fel-bloods and Wretched are presented as illustrations of why a elf must seek to control themselves. In order to suppress this dangerous and unpredictable aspect of their psyche, a elf must continually strive to eliminate all extremes of emotion. To surrender to anger or lust is to show weakness. This is not to say that a Blood Elf must merely forgive and forget a injury to themselves, or their people. Rather approaching the problem logically one can find the path of resistance to correct the matter that creates the smallest amount of chaos, while ensuring that internal order is maintained. To succumb to inner chaos is to become unbound by the rules, and in doing so one loses themselves. As a result, students of the path of Chantier live by a strict regimen of rules and codes and embraces a way of life that emphasizes harmony, balance and inner peace. ' 'The Mastery of Magic: The second lesson of Chantier is the principle of duality in the universe. It explains that everything in the Nether flows to a concept of dual natures. Even the Naaru worshipped by the Draenei are not gods, so much as they are embodiments of the living energy of existance's origin. Drawing off of the Titans, and archaelogical discoveries in Northrend, it explains that the Light is a omnipresent source from which magic itself springs. It is created from echoes form of life's connections, and those echoes resonance like a ripple on a pool of water radiate outward eventually warping the image reflected. In time the current will calm, and the pool again will be still. To touch magic is to thus touch the very nature of existance. The act of breaking the Arcane up into various disciplines, further refines it into the known schools of magic, and also into the very spiritual forces which Shamans themselves interact with. While the Night Elves may eschew this and actively persecute practicioners, the believers of Chantier are taught that the arcane is a force of both creation and chaos. After all, what is Elune but a sentient personification of Moonlight and creation? And if Moonlight exists, so too must Sunlight, giving credence to the Tauren myths of Mu'sha and An'she? The Gods are real, but like mortals they are tied to the magic of Azeroth, which now floats around the world in a eternal precipitation of mystical energy. Magic is a dangerous thing however, and the sooner one realizes it the better. Those who would use it successfully must master themselves foremost. Not because the source itself is evil or corruptive, but rather because the interaction of magic on the physical realm creates a strain which physical beings must ever check themselves in lest they grow imbalanced. This is the duality of the universe, and it ties back to the first lesson on why one must master themselves before attempting to learn to work with and connect with the forces of magic. Magic is divided into two halves of a whole known as the forces of Creation and Chaos. Or as spoke in the Thalassian toungue, Asuris, and Varkis. 'Two Halves of the Whole, Asuris and Varkis:' Creation is the employment of self and utilization of magic concerned with the ideals of good, benevolence, and healing. Followers of Asuris strive to live in harmony with the world around them, acting out of wisdom and logic rather than anger and hasty judgment. In order to achieve harmony within one's soul, meditation is often employed to clear themselves of emotion; particularly negative emotions such as aggression, fear, anger, and hatred, since these emotions lead to self corruption through the embracement of Varkis. Varkis is considered by Chantier-adepts to be the elemental equating of fear, hatred, aggression, and malice toward all living things. Thus the Scourge and Burning Legion are beings which venerate the tenets of Chaos, or Varkis in its purest form. As such emotions seem to increase the strength and abilities of a user of dark magic, Varkis is a dangerous path, providing a means towards personal power and the destruction or control of all opposition. As proven by the nature of a black-hole or nether vortex, Fel energy and the ways of Varkis are extremely addictive and self consuming. They can and will seduce a elf which does not exercise proper control of self. The self-styled Sun King, Kael'thas fell to the lure of this energy. ' 'The Schools of Magic: The flows of Magic, more commonly called the Arcane, is the name given by magic users for the invisible currents of magical energy which flow across the world. The source of all Magic is the Twisting Nether. When raw arcane magic enters the world, and encounters physical material, it is refracted into six 'forces', each of which can be then charged and called upon with the knowledge of Asuris or Varkis, used to empower spells which are characteristic of the elemental nature, and the mystic sphere of the magic being used. Since all sources of magic involve dancing dangerously between the currents of chaos and creation, all magic use carries with it an inherent risk of corruption, and a eternal vigilance for one’s actions. *'Fire: '''The school of fire is a power drawn from the burning force that imbues and empowers the cosmos, fueling strength, passions and desires, as readily as the stars themselves. Wielded by a skilled magus, Fire magic can decimate and destroy that which it is set to. But a magus must take care to ensure he is not burnt as well. *'Frost: Frost magic is drawn from cold resolves and icy logic which counters heat and fire, bringing stillness and reflection. The chill of the universe, and the absence of heat is a constant in the universe, and it is only the momentary disruption of fleeting fires that disturbs the magic of frost and its dominance. *'''Nature: Most nature magic is the coalescence of feral spirits, the hunt, and the predatory instincts of the wild. It flows from beings and permeates untamed places, where the touch of civilization is harsh and unyielding. It is a savage force, as unreasoning as it is devoid of malice. Some who master the understanding of nature magic are called Druids, and these beings enter into a contract with the primordial plane of existance called the Emerald Dream to gain access to natures most potent secrets, such as empathy to animals, shape shifting and healing which is futher tied to the element of life. It also is the lore for forces in the world such as lightning, thunder, and other occurences of the natural world. *'Life (Holy): '''This school of the arcane is closely bound to water and the flow of the natural essence of life through the world. It is strongest near sources of water or in areas where life grows in abundance - around rivers and lakes, by springs, in forests and woods. Rainfall is known to unleash a torrent of energy where it falls. The strength of nature magic is generally affected by the seasons, and conditions at one's disposal bordering on geomancy. - it is most potent in spring and summer, and it declines during winter. Nature magic can be used in a wide range of spells - as well as giving vital energy and providing healing, it can be used to manipulate the natural environment and control water in all its forms. Some theorize that the Shaman's healing powers are granted by the natural world to the shaman through the practice of Divine Magic. *'Death (Shadow): The power of Death comes from the void and the ending of things, the slow decline of the soul, and the finality that all sentient creatures must face at some point. Death stares one in the face, and notifies that while a person's physical form must inevitably come to an end, the spirit will travel on to a higher plane of existance. A corruption of the powers of void create the art of necromancy, while the mists and concealing nature of death entrap the soul rather than permitting it travel back to the source. That soul is then encased in a vessel and becomes un-dead, no longer alive, but certainly not dead yet. *'Arcane: '''Arcane or true Magic is the collection of the various strands that make up the source energy flowing from the twisting Nether and restoring it to its primordial and true state again. Because Arcane magic was originally formed from the Source it is debated that it may have more ties to Divine magic than was first believed. The Phoenix for an example is a divine being of fire, which is often called upon by Blood Elves. If Arcane is addictive however, perhaps its most pure form is the "source" which embodies the precepts of Chantier, and from which all of the Gods and beings that created existence originally sprang from. The Sunwell was originally a fount of arcane magic, but now further purified it is a font of arcane and holy radiance. While the nature between Arcane and Divine magic will doubtless be debated for ages to come, none can doubt its power. *'Fel: 'Fel Magic is the art of corrupting the above energies, and it is better known as the dark magic of Varkis. By corrupting the natural elements of the universe and altering them unnaturally with their will, a user of Fel magic can turn a fire spell into a dangerous green blast of chaotic flame, weave deathly gales of frozen power, create blight and disease where nature atypically promotes life, and pervert life forces like a parasite feeding on the blood of a host. Most terrifying however is the perversion of the power of death creating such atrocities as the necromatically raised armies of the Scourge. The original principle behind Blood Knight magic dealt with forcible domination of one's faith ( a corruption of Divine Magic ) and the conversion of that belief in oneself into power 'A Factual Conclusion No one can truly say why magic is a temptation, if it is the origin source which the Titans used to bring life to lifelessness, but it is assumed that the propensity of mortals to hunger is a side-effect of the Curse of Flesh, which was implanted by the Old Gods within the Titan's creations to turn order to chaos. In battling inner chaos, one battles what the Old Gods wishes them to become, using the same force that they did to affect change on the universe. The nature of magic is neither good nor evil, as it simply mirrors the survivalist emotions of the intelligent beings in the physical universe. Thus it exists because living things generate these emotions. So when a human or elven mind turns to petty and evil thoughts the powers of Varkis grow within the person eventually if not mastered transforming them into hideous forms shaped by magic which was influenced by their lust, greed, anger, and fear. Thus are born demons.. and servants of the old ones. Category:Archived Stories